Apparatus for cutting bricks or blocks from natural deposits



E. B. STARR AND H. E. MARSH.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING BRICKS 0R BLOCKS FROM NATURAL DEPOSITS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31. 1921.

1,392,459. I Patented 001;. 4, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN V EN TORS E dn ard B. Sfarr BY 1 Howard E. Mars/z W P, [W'yzfif ATTORNE).

APPARATUS FOR C E. B. STARR AND H. E. MARSH.

UTTI NG BRICKS 0R BLOCKS FROM NATURAL DEPOSITS APPLICATION FILED JAN-31,1921.

1,392,459, Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

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APPARATUS FOR CUTTING BRICKS 0R BLOCKS FROM NATURAL DEPOSITS.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

APPEICATION FILED IAN-31, 192l- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR. Edward B. Starr y Howard E Marsh Gu lty 7? {609.1 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD IB. STARR AND HOWARD MARSH, O1 LOMPOC, CALIFORNIA.

To all whom it may comcem:

Be it known that we, EDWARD B. STARR and HOWARD E. MARSH, citizens of the United States, residin at Lompoc, in the county of Santa Bar ara, State of California, have invented a new and useful -Im- ,Erovement in the Ap 'aratus for Cutting ricks or Blocks from atural Deposits, of

'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of sawing or. cutting bricks 'or blocks from natural deposits or beds of Ideselguhr or other ma terial, and an important object of the invention is to rovide for cutting such bricks or blocks rapldly and economically.

A. further objectof theinventionis to provide improved apparatus for effecting such cutting operation in the most efficient and convenient manner. I

The present invention relates to improved means for cutting bricks or blocks from natural deposits according to themethod set forth in Patent No. 1,353,188 granted to us Se tember 21, 1920. i

'Fhe accompanying drawings illustrate apparatus' embodying our invention, and referring thereto;

' Figure 1. is a plan view of one form of suchapparatus. I

Fig. 2. is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3. is anend view of a different form of saw head for use withthis a paratus.

- or blocks the fees. such two machines Fig. 4. is a-side'elevation of t e saw head shown in Fig. 3. n

Fig. 5. is a side elevation shown in Fig. 1. x

Fig. 6. is a section on line in Fig. 5.

of the apparatus Figs. 7. and 8. ar diagrams showing the manner in which-thecutting operations are performed. I

We have found-it: desirable .incutting bricks or blocks from beds of kieselguhr, or other naturally occurring deposits, by the method set forthin our patent aforesaid to carry on the operation in such manner that a series'of vertical cuts 'are'first formed inv the verticaljfaoeof the bank or bed, followed by horizontal cuts in the face and bricks or blocks are "severed from the face rallel to the conveniently performed the. bank iaoefand for severing the bricks Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

Application filed January 81, 1921. Serial No. 441,846.

may be of similar design, differing only in" the saw head or cutter head thereof, and, in fact, a single machine could be used with interchangeable saw heads,'but' for the sake of economy and expedition in operation it is desirable to use two machines.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5 the machine shown therein comprises a truck or vehicle having a body or frame or operation platform 1 mounted on wheels 2 adapted to run on track rails 3, said truck being rovided with suitable means for moving. a ong the track andwith" means movably mounted on the truck frame to support the cutting devices. We have. shown for; thispurpose a drive connection including an electric motor 4 havin suitable gearin connected to the truck w eels, but any other suitable means for example, cable traction) may be used.

he same motor may be used to operate the cutter shifting means, as hereinafter described.

Two

guide members 6 are rigidly secured to truck body 1 and roject therefrom laterally to form. guiding. and supporting may, as shown, he tubular in form. A screw pro-.

shaft 9 extends between and parallel to the ide members 6 bein mounted at one end 1n bearings 10 on b0 y land at the other end in a bearing 11 on across bar 12 connecting theouter ends of members 6, said .screw shaft having connections to operate the cutter head. Said shaft 9. is also preferably used as a drive. shaft for the truck wheels 2, a clutch13 being mounted on said shaft and controlled by lever 18 and adapted to connect the shaft to arm'embers 14 loose on the shaft and connected b chains 15 to sprocket wheels 16 on the s afts 17 .of wheels 2. Shaft 9 may be operated in either direction by driving connection from the motor 4, whose shaft is. connected by chain 20 to asprocket wheel 21 on a counter shaft 22 mounted in bearings 23. and 24, and providedv with clutches 25.- and26 controlled alternatively byacontrol lever-[27, to connect shaft. 22, either to a; 'whee1j28 connected ft 9, oiflto a geariw 'eeI BI-m'eshi'ng with -a gear wheel camsh ft 9;

v I S Iide'member 7 is provided with vertical bearingv guides 35 in which fslide' vertically page chain"'29 tofaisg rocket-. ivheekiio on l two vertical frame members 36 referably tubular) which are connected at t eir lower ends by a cutter head 37, said members 36 and 37 constituting a cutter-frame on which are mounted the sawing means. 36 are provided with vertical racks 38 engaging gear wheels 39 on a shaft 40, which is mounted in bearingSs41 on slide member 7. A worm wheel 42, loose on shaft 40, and engaged by the screw or worm 43 onshaft 9 can be clutched to shaft 40 by a clutch 44 so that rotation of said wheel by the worm 43 will operate the shaft 40, gear wheels 39 and racks 38 to move. the cutter head frame up or down.

Another worm wheel 46 engaging worm 43 is loose on shaft 47 which is rigidly mountedon the member 7 so that by clutching the wheel 46 to said shaft 47 by means of a clutch 48, the worm wheel 46 is locked in position and from rotation and serves as a nut coiiperating with the worm or screw 43, so that rotation of shaft 9 operates through members 43 and '46 to move the slide member7 outwardly or inwardly along the guide means6. The clutch devices 44 and 48 are controlled, through rods 50 and 51 andclutch levers 52 and 53 respectively, from control levers 54 and 55 adjacent to the truck body 1, on which the operator is stationed, said rods 50 and 51 (see Fig. 6) having longitudinalslots 56 engaging with keys 57 in sleeves 58, carrying the levers 52 and 53 so as to maintain controlling connection to said levers as the slide member 7 moves longitudinally in guide means 6.

In order to accurately space and hold the slide member 7 in proper position on the guide means 6, the latter is provided with holes 60 spaced apart along the length thereof, according to the widt of the brick or block to be cut, and ada ted to receive a locking or stop pin 61 whic engages with one end of .the slide member .7 or with a hole '62 therein, to hold said member in osition. Similarly each of the vertical rame members '36 may have a series of holes 63 to receive locking or stop pin 64 to engage the bearing or guide 35 so as to retain the cutter head at any desired height.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 is adapted for making horizontal cuts into the bank face and for severing blocks or bricks, the cutter head 37 being provided with horizontal saws 66 carried by vertical shaft 67, and with a vertical cut off saw 68 carried by one or the other of two horizontal" shafts 69, said shafts 67 and 69 being mounted in bearings 70 and'7l on'the cutter head.

Three of the horizontally cutting "saws 66 are shown, so spacedon shaft 67 as to simultaneously cut three grooves' or kerfs, spaced apart the thickness of a brick, for example,

and thejsarw' 68'extends approximately in the 7 plane parallel to the baukface and tangent Members to the peripheries of saws 66, so as to make a severing cut at the inner ends of the cuts made by the saws 66. A motor 74, prefer ably an electric motor, is mounted on'the cutter head and is connected to the saw shaft 67 by bevel gears 77 and 78 and to shafts 69 by suitable gearing, including a gear wheel 79 geared to the motor shaft and sprocket chains 76 engaging sprocket wheels on the shafts 69 and on the motor shaft, and on the shaft of wheel 79, so as to drive shafts 69 in opposite directions.

In conjunction with bank cutting apparatus above described we rovide a face' cutting means, consisting, or example, of a truck having horizontally extending guide means and a slide member mounted to move them laterally to the movement of the truck on the track rails, and carrying the vertically movable frame from the cutter head, all of such parts being preferably of the same construction and mode of operation as in the case of the bank cutter, the only difference in the two machines 1 being in the" not shown, located preferably on the truck frame or operators platform 1.

The operation of the apparatus is asfollows: The track rails 3 having been laid on the top of the bank. to be cut andadjacent and parallel to the vertically extending face thereof, the face cutting machine is brought into position' on the truck, at the place where the operations are to start, this osi tion being indicated at A in Fig. 7. ile the bank face, for purpose of explanation, is assumed to be vertical, it will generally be more or less inclined to the vertical, accordlng to the dip of the strata bein out,

said face being generally perpendicu ar to the top ofthe strata. O a

An operator is stationed on the truck frame to operate the various motor andclutch controls, and an attendant is sta tioned at the bank face to direct the operator in setting the cutter head and to lock the cutter head when set. Motor 4 is set in op- ,eration by suitable electric control means and the operator on the truck frame moves the clutch lever 27 to cause the worm shaft 9 ,to'turn in flrop'er direction. By then operating c'lutc control lever 55. the lower worm wheel is locked to its shaft47 and acts as a nut on the worm or screw43, causing the slide member 7 with the cutter frame and head carried thereby. to move in or out on the guide means 6, so as to bring the vertical screws 80 over the edge portion of the bank and in position to make vertical cuts in the bank face of de th equal to the width of a brick or block. Ihe saws 80 are then set in operation by means of motor 89, and the cutter head is caused to descend by operating lever 54 to throw in the clutch connection from worm 43 to shaft 40 of gear wheel 39 engaging racks 38, so that rotation reached.

of worm shaft 9 will operate the-cutter head downwardly and cause a series of .vertical cuts .to be made in the bank face, this operation being indicated by the lines 6 in Fig. 7. It will be understood that the worm shaft 9 at this time, and in fact throughout the operation of the machine, is rotated by means of motor 4, the clutch lever being operated to control movement of said shaft in the desired direction, but the clutch 13 for the drive connection to the truck wheelsbein'g released except when the machine is to be moved along the track 3. Clutch 48 is also released so that worm wheel 46 turns freely on its shaft, and the slide member is held from movement. along the guide means by the friction of its bearings on said guide means. This vertical cutting operation hav ing been performed, control lever 54 is operated to disc age the clutch 44 from the upper worm i vlieel 42 and lever 55- is operated to connect the clutch 48 to the lower worm wheel 46 and the same shaft 9 being then operated to cause the cutter head frame to move outwardly to disengage the saw from the bank face. Clutch lever 18 is then operated to control the connection to the truck wheels so as to cause themachine to advance along the track in position to out another vertical series of kerfs in the bank face, the path of the saws 80 in'this o eration bein indicated at a in Fig. 7, an the several 0 utch levers are then operated to cause the saws 80 to cut into the bank face and to' ascend thereon so as to make verti: cal cuts as indicated at b in Fig. 7; the machine bein then advanced along the track to move t e saws (as indicated at 0' in Fig. 7) to a new position, this operation being repeateduntil the end of the bank is The bank cutting machine, illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 follows the face cuttingmachine described and by suitable control of its motors and clutch levers, is caused to advance along the track, the cutter head 37 being set so as to enable the saws 66 to make a plurality of horizontal cuts, indicated atd in Fig. 8 (in this case three) correspondi in depth to the width of the brick or bloc and spaced apart the thickness of the brick or block, and the cut ofi saw 68 being placed move said cutter head frame von that one of the shafts 69 which at that other shaft 69, the cutter head being lowered along line 6 (Fig. 8) and the operation of the machine is reversed, to cut' and sever three more horizontal rows of bricks, the portion of the bank thus operated on being indicated .at d; the above described operation being re ated until the bank is cut to its full dept the whole operation bein then repeated to cut off successive rows 0 bricks \or blocks from the bank face, the track rails being moved back from time to time, when necemary.

- What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for cutting bricks or blocks from a natural bank of material comprising a vehicle adapted to move parallel to the bank face, guide means extending laterally from said vehicle, a slide member mounted to slide on said guide means, motordriven controllable means for moving said slide member along said bide means, acutter head mounted on said slide member to -move vertically thereon, sawing means carried by said cutter head, and motordriven controllable means for moving said cutter head vertically on said slide member.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said cutter head is provided with a plurality of horizontally extending saws and with a'vertically extendin saw for sawing ofi simultaneousl' the bricks or blocks cut by the said tending saws. v

3. An apparatus for cutting bricks or blocks from a bank of material, comprising a vehicle, guide means extending laterally from the vehicle, a slide member mounted plurality of horizontally exto move on said guide means, a cutter head head frame and connected tooperate said saw means, a motor on said vehicle, a shaft mounted to turn on sald vehicleand extending arallel tosaid guide means, and having reversible driving connections with said motor, a releasable operating connection between said shaft and and slide member frame tomove the slide; member alon said guide means by operation of said she and a releasable operating connection, between said shaft and said cutter head frame to vertically by operation of said shaft. v

4. An apparatus for cutting bricks or blocks item a bank of material, comprising a vehicle guide means extendin-glaterally from said vehicle, a slide member, ino'unted to move on said guide means, ajcutter frame provided with sawing means and mounted to move vertically on said slide member, a shaft mounted to turn on said vehicle and provided with a worm means for reversibly driving said shaft, a worm wheel member mounted to turn on said slide member and engaging said worm, clutch means for locking said worm wheel from rotation to enable it to act as a nut on said worm,-. to cause the slide member to be moved along said guide means, a second worm wheel engaging with said worm, and means including a clutch and aring connee'tin said second worm whee to said cutter rame to move said cutter frame vertically by operation of said 15 EDvvAnn B. STARR; HOWARD E. MARSH. 

